Oakland Raiders notebook: Pat Lee draws start at left cornerback

ALAMEDA -- If Pat Lee is excited over getting his first start in nearly two years, he's doing a good job hiding it.

Lee will open at left cornerback for the Raiders on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins in place of Ron Bartell, who is out four to six weeks with a fractured scapula.

"It's no different, no different at all," Lee said of his change in status. "I still prepare, just like when I was a backup. I'm ready."

A second-round draft pick out of Auburn by Green Bay in 2008, Lee has played in 33 games with exactly one start -- a Week 5 game against the Washington Redskins in 2010 when the Packers opened with five defensive backs.

Lee played 36 snaps in a 22-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers after Bartell was injured, which probably isn't a life-changing moment to someone who played 20 snaps in Super Bowl XLV for the Green Bay Packers and held his own after Charles Woodson and Jarret Bush were hurt.

"I don't look at it as how many starts someone has," Raiders cornerback Shawntae Spencer said. "Whether you start the game or are in the game, you're still in the game. You saw what he did Monday night. He came in, looked comfortable and played very, very well."

That quality, along with being a strong special teams player, helped Lee land a spot on the Raiders roster with the club opting to release 2010 draft picks DeMarcus Van Dyke (third round) and Chimdi Chekwa (fourth round). Chekwa is now on the Raiders practice squad.

"We're looking forward to watching him go out there and play," coach Dennis Allen said. "He's prepared to play like a pro, and that's what we fully anticipate."

Van Dyke, in particular, let his emotions get to him on occasion after giving up a completion or two.

Lee's performance against San Diego was similar to the way he played in the Super Bowl. He did his job, with no unnecessary gambles or memorable plays, but no glaring mistakes, either.

"I played well. I made a couple of tackles, got looked off a couple of times. The ball really wasn't thrown my way at all,"

Lee said in training camp of his Super Bowl performance.

Lee was drafted by the Packers when Reggie McKenzie was director of football operations there. When McKenzie became the Raiders' general manager, he made Lee his third free agent signing on March 27, after the signings of Bartell and guard Mike Brisiel 11 days earlier.

"As far as matching up with certain guys, he can do that well," McKenzie said. "I'm scared to put him up against Calvin Johnson, but he's smart and understands the defense and what they're asking of him. If he just plays within his game, he will be fine."

Long-snapper Jon Condo said he has passed two NFL-mandated tests related to his concussion and is hopeful of passing two more and being cleared to face the Dolphins.